28th Annual National Training Seminar was a Huge Success!

Hosted by Louisiana - JAG and the Louisiana Department of Education - New Orleans, LA • July 13-15, 2011

More than 350 delegates and Friends of JAG took part in the 28th Annual National Training Seminar held at the InterContinental New Orleans. The 28th NTS was a memorable educational and networking experience with delegates from the 33-state JAG National Network. Those that attended the Opening Awards Session were enthusiastic about Louisiana-JAG providing a New Orleans Mardi Gras welcome which injected a level of energy that is only found in New Orleans—“The Big Easy” and the “Jazz Capital of the World”. After a challenging year of seeking employment opportunities for the Class of 2010 in the most challenging economy in decades, the ambience of New Orleans provided the right mix of training and entertainment to prepare for the 2011-2012 school year.

The 80 Louisiana-JAG delegates brought their energy, enthusiasm and “bead tossing ability” to the 2011 NTS and the spirit was contagious among the delegates from across the country. By starting the NTS with a spirited parade, the delegates nationwide took full advantage of the:

Entertaining, motivating and dynamic Opening General Sessionled by JAG President Ken Smith. Special recognition was given to this year’s 126 Outstanding JAG Specialists who received a cash award from donations by JAG Board members and Friends of JAG in excess of $26,000.

A promising partnership was launched with the NFL Alumni represented by Richard Dandrea, Director of Chapter Development, NFL Alumni Association, and Patrick Travis Swilling, a former NFL linebacker for the New Orleans Saints. Richard serves as the liaison between JAG, the NFL Alumni Office and the 27 NFLA Chapters around the country.

Sixty (60) best practices workshopsconducted by network staff and leading experts. A special thanks to workshop presenters from the following partners: Corinthian Colleges (CCi), Verizon’s Thinkfinity, National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Institute, Walmart Foundation, NFL Alumni Association, Kuder, Microsoft.

The VIP Reception, attended by state and national leaders and partners, provided the right venue to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2010-2011 program year and prepared delegates for the Awards Dinner. The JAG Board was represented by Ken Smith, Commissioner Mark Butler, and Janet Parker (SHRM).

The Awards Dinner also provided the opportunity to recognize Corinthian Colleges (CCi), represented by long-time friend Mark Pelish, Executive Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, for being the lead sponsor of the 2011 National Training Seminar.

The Honorable Mark Butler, Georgia Commissioner of Labor and a new member of the JAG Board of Directors, acknowledged his support of JAG-Georgia and his plans to serve more young Georgians using the JAG Model.

The Marketplace Exhibits were informative and enjoyable. A special thanks to Louisiana-JAG (awarded 1st place) and JAG-Indiana (2nd place) for investing time in preparing their exhibits.

The Recognition Luncheon featuring an outstanding speaker with a message and a large number of awards to JAG State Organizations and local JAG Specialists

The Closing Awards Brunch featuring Ted Wiese, a dynamic keynoter, that challenged the JAG National Network to helping national network staff to realize their ability to ‘make a difference’ in the lives of JAG students. He delivered a strong message coupled with humor, wit, wisdom, real-life stories, and a lot of fun.

596 awardswere presented to high performing state organizations, local programs and outstanding state and local staff members. A summary of the 2011 NTS Awards and Recognition can be found at this link.

Pre-NTS Professional Development Courses, July 11-13, 2011
Approximately 150 managers and Specialists enrolled in one of the eight (8) JAG National University courses that began on Monday, July 11, and concluded with a Recognition Brunch on Wednesday, July 13, in time for the Opening Awards Session of the 28th National Training Seminar. The faculty members conducting the courses were JAG national trainers with considerable expertise and experience in implementing JAG Model programs that achieve high performance outcomes. The 2011 University Faculty included: Ron Rider, Jenny Powell, Jean McLaurine, Dr. Julie Ray, Jason Moore, John McConnell, Paul Booden, and Dr. Jim Koeninger.

29th Annual National Training Seminar, July 2012.
Those interested in conducting workshops at the 2012 NTS should express their interest by sending an email and a short description of the workshop topic(s) that you wish to present in 12 months. Email address: jag@jag.org